Gustavo's Food Justice Class

ABOUT THE FILM

More About Food Justice: A Growing Movement from Directors and Producers Martina Brimmer and Zora Tucker

Food Justice: A Growing Movement was conceptualized in a coffee shop in Prescott, AZ. The project was formally Martina’s senior project at Prescott College, but quickly became a mutual undertaking when Zora quit her job to head to California for the filming. Neither of them had studied or worked in film, much less attempted to document an issue which called for articulate exposure. The filmmakers felt that the issues of urban food security in relationship to systemic oppression, environmental racism, health issues and the failure of our conventional food system needed to reach the public, with primary distribution within the communities that bear the consequences of social inequity. It was also their intention as activists to portray the world which they are striving to create, and so Zora and Martina focused upon several of many Bay Area grassroots projects that they consider part of the food justice movement.

The project was filmed in West Oakland, San Francisco and South Central, Los Angeles. The artists used borrowed film and audio equipment and made the entire film for under $1000, most of which Martina raised. Prescott College graciously provided the editing equipment.

Both Zora and Martina have reached turning points in their lives as they continue their exploration of environmental and social sustainability: Zora started graduate school at CalPoly, Pomona in the Regenerative Studies program, and Martina returned to Bolivia to delve into Andean agriculature at the end of September 2006.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Farmers and consumers concerned with the integrity of organic dairy farming need to contact the White House and urge the President to support a strong pending standard governing organic livestock and dairy management practices.

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is nearing the end of its critical review of proposed new regulations clarifying the requirement that dairy cows and other ruminants consume a meaningful amount of feed from pasture and grazing. Powerful factory farm interests opposed to the rule – who want to continue to principally confine animals in feedlot style operations – have privately met with OMB officials and are seeking to weaken the new rule.

In the past, USDA officials have used the excuse that they needed tighter rules for enforcement against factory farms scofflaws — this has allowed the rapid rise of feedlot factory farms in organic dairying, milking as many as 7200 cows. These new regulations will negate that illegitimate excuse.

The giant operations have produced so much milk with their cheaper, suspect practices that a surplus is now driving legitimate, ethical family farmers off their farms and out of organic dairying. A strong new rule, coupled with promised enforcement from the Obama/Vilsack administration at the USDA, will level the playing field and prevent factory farms from continued cheating.

Contact the White House today and urge them to support a strong new standard for organic dairy cows and livestock that will require meaningful pasture and grazing.